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News — ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 9, 2025) — The Los Angeles area is currently battling historic wildfires, including the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset fires, which have together scorched more than 25,000 acres. The fires have led to at least five fatalities and forced the evacuation of around 130,000 residents, with many more under warnings.

Major fires, such as the Palisades and Eaton fires, remain uncontained, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed. The economic damage is estimated to exceed $50 billion, potentially making these fires the most costly in California's history.

University at Albany experts at the â€¯are available to discuss the emergency response to the wildfires, along with ongoing recovery efforts. 

• , associate professor, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Greer’s research focuses on a number of topics related to disaster science, including hazard adjustments and relocation decision making. He leads a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project that explores residential adjustments following recent wildfires in California and Hawaii.

• , associate professor, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Penta examines health and medical care in crises, decision making in preparedness and response, and disaster donations. She has worked on projects examining evacuation and preparedness challenges for long-term care facilities, disaster donations behavior, and community recovery and resilience to disasters and epidemics.   

• , assistant professor, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Silver’s research interests focus on how individuals and groups make decisions before, during and after extreme weather events. Some of her most recent research has examined the ways that new technologies, including social media, influence how individuals obtain, interpret and respond to official and unofficial warning information.

About the University at Albany: 

The is one of the most diverse public research institutions in the nation and a national leader in educational equity . As a Carnegie-classified R1 institution, UAlbany and its faculty and students are creating critical new knowledge in fields such as artificial intelligence, atmospheric and environmental sciences, business, education, public health, social sciences, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, engineering, informatics, public administration and social welfare. Our courses are taught by an accomplished roster of with student success at the center of everything we do. Through our parallel commitments to academic excellence, scientific discovery and service to community, UAlbany molds bright, curious and engaged leaders and launches great careers. 

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